Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.

MOVIES

Completion Date Wide Open: The mystery surrounding Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” just got a little deeper. After a secrecy-shrouded 15 months of shooting in England--and after just about everyone thought the movie starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had finally wrapped--the legendary director now wants Cruise to return to London next month to reshoot a scene. There’s only one hitch: They will have to do the scene without actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, who originally appeared in a pivotal cameo with Cruise. Leigh currently is in Canada filming David Cronenberg’s film “eXistenZ.” “She is in every frame of ‘eXistenZ,’ ” said Leigh’s manager, Elaine Rich. “There is no way she can leave the production and go to England.” Like everyone else who worked on “Eyes Wide Shut,” Leigh gave her word not to reveal anything about the film. “I couldn’t even tell you what Jennifer’s role is or what the film is about,” Rich said. With Leigh unavailable, Kubrick has turned to actress Marie Richardson. Rich disputed rumors that Kubrick was dissatisfied with Leigh’s performance, noting: “He’s a big fan of hers. He called and requested her. . . . They had a wonderful time working together but, unfortunately, scheduling did not permit her to come back.” Leigh isn’t the first actor to drop out of “Eyes Wide Shut.” Harvey Keitel left the project early on and was replaced by director-actor Sydney Pollack. Although Warner Bros. is said to be fretting over what’s taking Kubrick so long, the director is a notorious perfectionist and has a free hand in his filmmaking.

POP/ROCK

Bolton Defends Foundation: Singer Michael Bolton defended his charitable foundation Tuesday against charges it did not distribute most of the money donated to it. At a Connecticut press conference, Bolton, 45, said he was particularly hurt by insinuations that he took much of the money for himself. “The first misconception I want to clarify, and the one I find personally offensive, is the notion that I receive a salary from the foundation,” Bolton said. “I do not receive a salary, nor even one penny, from my foundation, nor will I ever.” Bolton, who was raised in New Haven, Conn., set up the Michael Bolton Foundation Inc. in 1993 to help poor and abused women and children. He said that between 1993 and 1996, the foundation gave out $1.6 million, or about 30% of the money it raised, and in 1996 it passed along $863,473, or 63% of donations. Last week, Bolton had announced he was hiring attorneys and accounting firms to look into the foundation’s finances after news reports indicated that little of the money raised in 1995 actually went to the needy.

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Remembering Rob Pilatus: Surviving Milli Vanilli member Fabrice Morvan will pay tribute to his former lip-synching partner, the late Rob Pilatus, at a private show tonight at Sunset Boulevard’s Key Live. Morvan, who has gotten positive reviews for his recent solo shows, will speak about Pilatus and sing “It’s Your Life,” a new song written after Pilatus’ death. Pilatus, 32, died in a German hotel April 2 after consuming pills and alcohol.

TELEVISION

Improvising: Britain’s hit TV comedy improvisation show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” is headed to Los Angeles. To celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary, nine new episodes will be recorded at the KTLA-TV Channel 5 studios on Sunset Boulevard, starting May 7. Among the improvisational comedians scheduled are series regular Ryan Stiles (Lewis on ABC’s “The Drew Carey Show”). For free tickets, call (818) 753-3470, Ext. 5463. Meanwhile, the show’s producers say that plans are underway for a U.S. version of the show (reruns of the British program are currently seen on cable’s Comedy Central), with Drew Carey having expressed interest as a possible host.

QUICK TAKES

Rival network ABC has a full-page color ad on the inside cover of this month’s Emmy magazine, commemorating the upcoming series finale of NBC’s “Seinfeld.” Below a picture of the star, with the dates “1989-1998,” the ad reads: “We’ll miss you Jerry. The way George misses his dead fiancee.” No doubt ABC hopes to have more luck with its upcoming programming than the post-Susan George Costanza has had with women. . . . The joint “Ally McBeal”-”The Practice” cross-network story line helped the latter show achieve its highest rating of the season on ABC Monday. However, both programs finished well behind the concluding half of NBC’s miniseries “Merlin.” . . . Longtime “Good Morning America” co-anchor Charles Gibson on Tuesday was named anchor and correspondent for ABC News’ prime-time programs. The network did not name Gibson’s specific duties, but said he will start next week. His final “GMA” broadcast, meanwhile, airs on ABC Friday. . . . Actor Daniel Stern (“Home Alone”), who was the narrator on “The Wonder Years” for five seasons, has been cast as the voice of “Dilbert,” the animated UPN series based on Scott Adams’ popular comic strip. The prime-time series is scheduled to premiere next season. . . . Film composer, songwriter and jazz pianist Michel Legrand (“Yentl”) was slated to receive the Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The award--recognizing Legrand’s “extensive musical contributions and outstanding achievements as a composer”--was being presented during the 13th annual American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers gala.